Follow-Up: Pennsylvania Measles Cases Reach 1,338 Across 44 Counties as MMR Vaccination Surges
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Health on October 23 announced that 1,338 measles cases have been confirmed across 44 counties in the state so far in 2026, with 21 new cases since its October 21 update.
Total hospitalizations in Pennsylvania have reached 255, and confirmed measles-associated deaths stand at five. Only four of the confirmed cases — less than 1 percent — were in vaccinated individuals. GSM's October 21 follow-up put the state at 1,317 cases in 43 counties with 251 hospitalizations; the latest update adds 21 cases, one more county and four more hospitalizations in two days.
On vaccination, the department said health care providers across Pennsylvania administered more than 56,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine in September and more than 39,000 so far in October, compared with a typical month of about 25,000 doses. The department continues to publish county-level case, hospitalization and death data on its measles dashboard and has run pop-up vaccination clinics in affected communities since the outbreak began in late April.
Pennsylvania is the center of the national measles resurgence. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 4,588 confirmed cases nationwide as of October 22, meaning Pennsylvania accounts for about 29 percent of the national total. The death counts still differ: Pennsylvania reports five measles-associated deaths, while the CDC has confirmed three nationally. A sixth death in Franklin County remains under investigation and is not included in the state's count (GSM, based on Reuters reporting and Pennsylvania Department of Health releases).
Related: Follow-Up: Pennsylvania Measles Cases Rise to 1,317 Across 43 Counties
Source: GSM · United States
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: MMR（麻疹、腮腺炎、风疹）疫苗 Priorix 药瓶（资料照片）。Whispyhistory 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ An MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine vial (file photo). Photo by Whispyhistory, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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